
Dr. Sophie McCoy
Assistant Professor
Lang Early Career Fellow, Phycological Society of America
Voices For Science Policy Fellow, American Geophysical Union
I am a community ecologist with broad interests in ecology, evolution, physiology, and environmental chemistry. My research focuses on primary producers, and links between ecophysiology, environmental conditions and water chemistry.
I use a combination of field and laboratory methods to study natural variability in populations, responses of individuals, species, and communities to climate change and pollution, and feedbacks between biology and water chemistry.
Read more about specific projects here.
email: mccoy(at)bio.fsu.edu
office: King 4060
phone: (850) 644-1549
office: Coastal & Marine Lab Admin Bldg 111
phone: (850) 697-4099
lab: Coastal & Marine Lab 11

Randi Bowman
PhD Student, Co-advised with Sandra Brooke (CML)
I am broadly interested in studying how biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning in coral ecosystems. For my PhD research, I will use a combination of observational, field, and lab studies to identify and predict spatial and temporal shifts in coral functional diversity in response to anthropogenic stressors. My goal is to determine which aspects of functional diversity are key to maintaining high levels of coral ecosystem functioning in the face of regular disturbance regimes.
email: rbowman(at)bio.fsu.edu

Ethan Cissell
PhD Candidate
I am interested in trophic interactions in complex microbial communities, especially top-down controls. My research explores how the relative influence and identity of top-down forces are altered by global change. For my dissertation, I am exploring how altered interactions between bacteriophages and bacteria influence the growth and persistence of cyanobacterial mat communities.
email: ecissell(at)bio.fsu.edu

Abigail Engleman
PhD Candidate, Co-advised with Sandra Brooke (CML)
I am a Ph.D. student interested in alleviating anthropogenic damage to coral reef ecosystems. My research is particularly focused on reestablishing ecosystem function, which is lost when coral is broken or killed. Through 3D printing Artificial Settlement Modules, I hope to restore structural complexity to reef ecosystems, improve coral larvae settlement, and thus improve ecosystem function on physically disturbed reefs.
email: aengleman(at)bio.fsu.edu

Jacob Ephron
PhD Student
I am broadly interested in how anthropogenic stressors affect marine invertebrate fisheries on a population level. I earned my BS in Biology at Haverford College outside of Philadelphia, PA. My past research has varied from studying range expansion in Arctic Killer Whale populations to investigating the combined effects of ocean acidification and climate change on sea anemones.
email: je20bq(at)my.fsu.edu

Josh Manning
PhD Candidate
Parrotfishes are extremely important herbivores and bioeroders on coral reefs. My current PhD dissertation research focuses on the role of parrotfish behaviors in determining spatial patterns in benthic community structure and bioerosion on the fringing coral reefs of Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean.
email: jcm17e(at)my.fsu.edu
Sean McCollum
PhD Student
I am interested in how marine invertebrate physiology and behavior is impacted by shifts in coastal ecosystems. Particularly, I am interested in the direct and indirect effects of ocean acidification on reef-associated invertebrates. I earned my BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz where I researched the functional composition and diversity of invertebrate zooplankton communities off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, CA.
email: sm20jb(at)fsu.my.edu

Joining the laboratory
I am looking for motivated and curious scholars with an interest in linking organism physiology to community ecology and function.
Please visit the Opportunities & Expectations page to learn more.
Please note - due to current restrictions on lab occupancy, I am not currently accepting DIS students. Please check back for updates in Summer 2021.
Lab alumni
Technicians
Penelope Ales, BA Biological Science & DIS Student '17, Lab Tech, FSU
Anthony Sogluizzo, Lab Tech, FSU
Undergraduate Students
Abigail Baker, FSU
Isabelle Basden, FSU
Troy Broomes, FSU
Joh'Nyra Bryant, FSU
Maria De Jesus, FSU
Michelle Dziewit, Texas A&M
Samina Fuller, FSU
Graduate Students
Kirsten Seal, MSc Applied Marine Science '15,
Plymouth University
Elizabeth Elliot, MSc Environmental Consultancy '15,
Plymouth University
Undergraduate Students
Shelby Graziani, FSU
Jess Henson, FSU
Lena Kury, FSU
Alie MacVicar, Lehigh University
Joseph Portillo, FSU
Sarah Stoppelman, FSU
TyLeah Tebbenkamp, FSU